Morrison congratulates Joko Widodo as counting continues in Indonesian election

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has announced that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and British Prime Minister Theresa May have congratulated him on last month's general election.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called Indonesian President Joko Widodo to congratulate him on the recent elections, despite final results not being expected for another two weeks. 

An Indonesian government statement, released on Sunday, said Mr Widodo had received congratulations from Mr Morrison for a "peaceful and democratic" federal election.

"The two leaders also agreed to continue to improve cooperation and good relations between two close neighbouring countries," the statement, translated from Indonesian, continued.

PM Scott Morrison will kick off the week in Sydney spruiking the coalition's help for businesses. Source: AAP

On the same day, in a separate statement, Mr Widodo announced that he had also received congratulations from British Prime Minister Theresa May, as the "two leaders agreed to continue to enhance cooperation". 

Counting is still ongoing following last month's massive elections, which saw more than 190 million people eligible to cast their votes for a record 245,000 candidates.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo at Merdeka Palace. Source: AAP

In the days after the 17 April election, polling predicted that Mr Widodo would be re-elected over his nearest rival ex-general Prabowo Subianto, giving the current president a lead of 54 per cent to Mr Subianto's 45 per cent.

In response, Mr Widodo stopped short of officially declaring victory but announced that he had received congratulatory calls from world leaders.

But Mr Subianto refused to concede defeat, controversially claiming an emphatic victory despite the so-called 'quick count' results.

“My fellow countrymen, this is a victory for the Indonesian people. All of the Indonesian people and I tell you here, that I will be the president for all Indonesians,” he said, hours after the polls had closed.

Prabowo Subianto. Source: Getty Images

“I will be and I already am the president of all Indonesians.”

The 'quick counts', which are samples conducted by polling officials, have been reliable indicators in past elections.

Last week, Mr Widodo urged the public to wait for the official results from the General Elections Commission which are expected to be released on 22 May.